Healthy Homes Assessment Johnsonville

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you have any idea that the Healthy Homes Standards came into effect on the 1st July 2021? Landlords must ensure their Johnsonville rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of any renewed or new tenancy and all private rental properties are required to be fully in compliance by July 1st 2024.

The subjects covered in the Healthy Homes Standards are:

• Draught Stopping
• Heating
• Insulation
• Ventilation
• Moisture Ingress & Drainage

We will evaluate your rental property to determine whether it is in compliance with the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. Following the assessment, we will advise you or your property manager about any work that requirements to be done and offer an evaluation report with all the information needed for your Tenancy Agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to fulfill the requirements to comply with the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach in the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found not complying may be liable for up to $7,200 in addition to any healthier homes associated fines.

We are fully independent assessors of rental properties as well as fully certified for both Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now (04) 280 6777

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

Since the 1st July of 2021, when a brand new, renewed or varied contract is signed on a Johnsonville rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work need to be completed within 90 days.

As of 1st July 2021, when a brand new or renewed tenancy is signed on a Johnsonville rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be done inside of 90 days.

Failure to adhere to all of the Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the anticipated timeframe could result in a fine of up to $7200. In addition, if the current Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance is not included within the new, renewed or revised tenancy contract, it could result in an additional fine or violation fee.

Anyone can request details about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they are related to the house they are living in. If the property manager is unable to provide the necessary information within 21 days of receiving the request, they can be issued an infringement notice and be fined upto $750.

In addition, there is also a penalty as much as $900 for landlords and property managers who offer a false or inaccurate Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or any other information. The person who is liable to pay this fine is the one who is named on the lease agreement as being the person who is letting the property It could also be the landlord’s name or the company that manages the property.

The information contained in the Compliance Statement requirements to be up-to-date before the tenancy agreement can be executed, and it must be updated during the entire tenancy, as necessary work related to it’s finished.

It is important to be aware that a landlord who have multiple rental properties may receive greater penalties for non-compliance. The harshest penalties are handed down only for serious breaches. Landlords with at least six rental properties could receive fines of up to $50,000, or as high as $100,000 in hearing claims.

In the end, a failure to comply with compliance with Healthy Homes requirements can hit your pocket with huge fines, in addition to having to continue to comply. Don’t risk your rental property call us now and arrange to have an home assessment done on your rental property.

Get the full description of this law. Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes are important

What are the reasons why Healthy Homes Compliance so important?

About 1 in 3 households rent homes in New Zealand and Johnsonville, and research shows us that these rental houses are more likely to be colder, older and have less efficient heating, and generally have lower quality than owner occupied properties.

Moldy, damp and cold homes are associated with negative health outcomes, especially for illnesses like colds, influenza, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, people who experience four or more key home quality issues often suffer from poor life satisfaction and lower well-being.

Enhancing the quality of Johnsonville rental property can help tenants enjoy better mental and physical health, and lessen the interruption to learning, work and living because of health issues. Your investment is also better safeguarded from mildew, mould and damp damage, meaning less costs of maintenance in the long run.

The Healthy Homes Standards are a list of specific and minimum standards for Heating, Insulation Ventilation, Moisture ingress and Drainage, as well as Draught Stopping for Johnsonville rental properties.

Begin now by calling about having a Johnsonville Healthy Home assessment on your rental property today.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Johnsonville

Draughts are a major cause of dropping temperatures within households. A humid home is more expensive to heat, which means wasting money and energy.

If a draught is perceived as a result of gaps or holes the area needs to be closed.

What are unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air entering or a clear draught out of a hole or gap, then it is likely a crack or hole which requirements sealing in somehow. Large cracks and gaps should be sealed permanently. Cracks that are greater than 3mm and let air into or out within the home require to be sealed. In the case of an open fireplace isn’t in use it can create draughts. This should be blocked off. Landlords and property managers are responsible for ensuring that such draughts are squelched as much as imaginable.

There is no need to block off holes or gaps in the construction. For instance, small gaps around windows and doors may be required to allow for movement within the building when the home is heated and cools to allow them to be shut and opened, rather than being stuck. We will inspect all doors and windows during the Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

Find the complete specifications for the Healthy Homes draught stopping requirements.

A good heating system is crucial to ensure well-being homes

Heating Johnsonville

Johnsonville rental properties should have a permanent source of heating that can warm the principal or the biggest living space to at least 18degC, even during the most coldest days of the year. This is the recommended minimum indoor temperature suggested by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental wellbeing.

The source of heat needs to be fixed (i.e., not portable) with at minimum 1.5 kW in heating capacity, and it must have the minimum requirement for heat capacity in the living area. A Heating Assessment Tool may be used to determine if the existing installed heater(s) are adequate or whether you will need to "top up" with a new heater. Fires that are open and unflued heaters such as mobile LPG bottle heaters are not considered acceptable heating options for those following the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating that you provide is electric heating or heat pump, it should have an thermostat. This will make your heating more consistent and effective. For most properties, larger fixed heating devices such as wood burners, heat pumps pellet burners, flued gas heaters are required. However, in certain instances like small apartments an electric, fixed heater might be enough.

If your living space already has a fixed heating source like the heat pump, it might just need an update to make sure it meets the requirements. Certain kinds of heaters aren’t able to be used to meet the quality since they’re either not efficient, cost prohibitive to operate and/or unhealthy to run.

Check out the complete details for the Healthy Homes heating needs.

Ventilation Johnsonville

Every living space in a rental property has to contain at minimum one open door or window to offer natural ventilation. In addition, high moisture areas such as kitchens or bathrooms need to have an externally vented extractor fan to get rid of moisture.

It is the ventilation quality is all about understanding how the dry atmosphere is more easy to heat and that an apartment that is well-ventilated is less likely to grow mould and damp.

Living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, and kitchens are all considered living spaces. Spaces that connect, such as the hallway aren’t liveable and don’t need an opening window or door.

Every window, door or skylight needs to be able of opening to the outside and remain at an open angle in order to allow to circulate fresh air as well as air flow.

The bathrooms in all kitchens and every other room of your house that houses shower, bath and cooktop or another moisture-producing item will require adequate extractor fans that can be vented towards the outside. This Healthy Homes Assessment service will verify that there is enough ventilation in every living space, including suitable extractor fans in areas with high moisture.

Find out all the details about this Healthy Homes ventilation standard.

A comfortable, dry house is a healthy home

Insulation Johnsonville

The insulation of the ceiling and underfloor has been compulsory on all rental homes from 1 July 2019. All landlords and property managers should make sure the insulation meets the new standard. In certain situations, the existing ceiling insulation or insulation in the sub floor space might require to be filled with or replaced.

A well-insulated house can help control condensation and lower the chance of mould and damp, and it will make an easier task to the house to retain warmth.

Insulation requirements to be in compliance with the R-values required for your area

The "R" is a symbol for thermal resistance and is a gauge of how well the insulation withstands heat flow. The more high the R-value, higher the standard of insulation.

• Zone 1 Zone 1 Auckland & Northland - ceiling R 2.9 and underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 2 – the remainder of the North Island except Taupo and the Central Plateau – ceiling R 2.9 and underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 3 - North Island Taupo, Central Plateau and the entire South Island – ceiling R 3.3 (underfloor R 1.3

Check out the complete details of this Healthy Homes insulation standard.

Johnsonville Moisture Ingress & Drainage

The security of your rental home from moisture isn’t just about the inside it’s also about the outside. You must make sure there is somewhere for surface as well as groundwater to move and prevent it from getting into the building. When it comes to moisture and damp it’s usually those concerns that you aren’t aware of that can become a big problem, causing the property to suffer and harming the tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties should be equipped with effective drainage to remove floodwaters, surface water and ground water, including the proper outfall or runoff. Making sure that water has a location to go, and also that it doesn’t sit beneath structures is an crucial aspect of making sure your property is dry.

Alongside a drainage system to avoid moisture ingress, if your apartment has an enclosed gap between your flooring and the ground, a ground moisture barrier must be constructed if it’s reasonably practicable to install it.

Ground moisture barriers are typically a sheet of polythene that is placed over the ground, to block any moisture that is present in the ground from accumulating into the structure. It also assists in preventing from causing damage to the flooring insulation.

Find out all the details of the Healthy Homes moisture ingress and drainage standard.

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Johnsonville

The areas of rental property that are affected to The Healthy Homes Standards in Johnsonville include each:

• Living Rooms
• Bedrooms
• Dining Rooms
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Johnsonville for Rental Properties

There are a variety of things to be able to examine when conducting the house review to determine if your rental property is in compliance with the minimum requirements of the Healthy Homes Standards. The most common are:

• Is the sub floor space insulated and is a ground moisture barrier present?
• Do you think the ceiling insulation require replacement or topping?
• Do you think the heating system has sufficient capacity?
• Are there enough drainage and draught stopping?
• Does the house have enough air circulation, including extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having an Healthy home in relation to the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently falling on the wrong side of a tenancy solutions ruling can be significant for landlords and property managers. For specialist advice get in touch today and book your rental property home assessment.